Grass-fed beef and a football field

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¢ Bill Kurtis, the KU alumnus and Kansas native, is touting the benefits of grass-fed beef in this story in the [Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger][1].Q: Your home state of Kansas is known for beef, of course. But what other Kansas foods should the world know more about?A: Wheat is our primary crop, and buckwheat pancakes have dazzled everyone from Bloomingdale's in New York to those who want food from the prairie.¢ The new name for the football field at KU's Memorial Stadium is the subject of a blurb in the [Chicago Sun-Times][2], where Tom and Bob Kivisto grew up. And if Kansas ever emulated Northwestern (which swept aside Dyche Stadium for Ryan Field for big bucks), it might not even have the Kivisto name at all. "One hundred years from now, who knows?" Tom said. "For now, though, it's forever." [1]: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061011/FEAT02/610110318/1019/FEAT02 [2]: http://www.suntimes.com/sports/quickhits/91418,CST-SPT-1hit11.article

In Argentina the beef is virtually all grass-fed. Argentina is famous for having arguably the best beef in the world. There of course are climactic reasons that contribute to this, but grass-fed beef can be very good.

I assume Kurtis has eaten plenty of grass-fed beef. The taste of grass-fed beef is different from grain-fed, but not necessarily better or worse.

The green or yellowish tint in the marbling is due to carotene in the grass--nothing at all to be grossed out about.

Might it not be ickier to know that pure-white marbling is a symptom of feeding the animal feed that it is not natually set-up to process--not to mention a symptom of energy-intensive industrial agriculture? It is, I suppose, a matter of perception, and what one is used to.

One of the great things about grass-fed beef is the sharp reduction of the energy needed to produce the beef. This does not necessarily translate to cheaper prices at the store counter, but it could help to lessen this country's dependency on foreign energy sources.